Issue #107
by Wayne Ellis, Sports America

How to Avoid 'Career Killers'
The Best Skill Taught at the NBPA Top 100 Camp

"There are hundreds of career killers... and chances are most of the kids will find the career killers out there."

~ Tim McCormick, Regional Director for the NBA Players' Association

Last week, at the University of Virginia’s beautiful new John Paul Jones Arena, the NBA Player’s Association Top 100 Camp (NBPA Top 100 Camp) took place over a 4-day period.  There, 104 players (including the injured) learned what it would be like to compete against the best of the best, day after day. 

It’s a good preview of what the players can expect talent-wise at the next level  But the camp is an even better barometer of what to expect from life at the next level. 

That’s because more than 25 NBA players, coaches and scouts attend each year, sharing with the kids exactly what they can expect off the court (as well as on). 

For those who have the drive and the skills to make it to the NBA, the Top 100 Camp helps them realize their dream.  But for the majority of kids attending camp, this is as close to the NBA as they’ll ever come. 

Many will fall victim to a career killer (in whatever form).  But that’s where the real talent in the Top 100 Camp emerges.  The coaches, teachers and players help players realize the need to develop skills off of the court… to prepare for that day when basketball isn’t the only focus in their lives.  Here’s how…

Quality Education Begins with Quality Teachers

The two men at the top of the NBPA Top 100 Camp have almost 60 years of NBA and major college basketball experience between them:  Tim McCormick and Purvis Short. 

Camp Director Tim McCormick spent 10 years in the NBA, playing for six different teams.  He followed that up with 14 years (and counting) in the Player’s Association – the last 11 of those as the Players Association’s Regional Director.  In addition, Tim played four years at the University of Michigan.  That’s almost 30 years of basketball experience at the highest level. 

Director of Player Programs Purvis Short’s 30-year career includes 12 years as a player (with Golden State, Houston and New Jersey), 14 years with the Player’s Association and a 4-year college career at Jackson State University.

In addition to Tim and Purvis, former NBA players George Johnson; Roy Hinson, Charles D. Smith, Frank Brickowski, and Kermit Washington also lend their time to the camp. 

This NBPA team has witnessed virtually every career killer there is.  So they are committed to providing today’s young players with enough on-court and off-court skills to give them a fighting chance in a league where the statistics are stacked against them. 

Number So Scary, Stephen King Won’t Touch Them

Stacks of information is available to players, parents and/or coaches about career killers like drugs, alcohol, unscrupulous agents, and the lure of livin’ large. 

Add to these the endless tales of hangers’ on (or old friends from the neighborhood) who push their pro “buddies” into something illegal, immoral or just plain stupid, and you get the idea that more hurdles exist outside of the court than on it for prep players trying to make the NBA.

So what happens to the lucky few, the ones who make it?  End of story right?  They play out their 10- or 12- or 15-year career, tuck away tens of millions of dollars then settle down for retirement.      

Unfortunately that’s dead wrong more than 9 out of 10 times.

That’s what the NBPA Top 100 Camp helps campers realize by sharing some sobering statistics about NBA careers.  These facts were reprinted from the NBPA Top 100 “Campers Handbook.”

So, the bottom line is this:  Even if a prep all-star achieves his dream, and makes it to the NBA, by the time he reaches 30, the statistics say his career will probably already be over.  He’ll need to fall back on his education or other formal training to begin his second career. 

Unfortunately, many “retired” NBA players do not have a degree, putting them at a significant disadvantage when it comes to competing for a job. 

For players hoping that a lack of skills will be offset by celebrity, the bad news is that once the celebrity wears off, they still won’t have any skills.  And if these newly retired players have a family or other responsibilities – like any other 30-year old would – the full weight of reality can suddenly come crashing down on them. 

So, What’s the Solution

And that’s exactly what Tim, Purvis and the rest of the NBPA crew try to communicate to their Top 100 Campers.  At some point, unless you’re the next Lebron, Michael, Shaq or Kobe, you’re going to run into a career killer, and you’ll need a Plan B. 

The NBPA Top 100 Camp helps players start their own Plan B. Tim, Purvis and the rest of the crew share with the kids that education is the key.  These young players need to take advantage of the educations offered to them in college. 

Or in the event that they enter the NBA before finishing a degree, the league has partnered with a number of prestigious schools so players can pursue a degree while playing the game. 

For the players who take advantage of this, they’ll have a huge advantage over the competition, long after their ballin’ career is over.  They’ll have developed an effective Plan B. 

And they’ll have “posterized” the career killer.   

Post Game HIGHLIGHTS

For more information on the NBA Players Association, visit its website at: http://www.nbpa.com/

And for more information on the NBPA Top 100 Camp, go to:  http://www.nbpa.com/top_100.php

For a complete report on the NBA Player’s Assocaition Top 100 Camp, click here to get your copy of the free report:  The Best Camp in the Country for Tomorrow’s NBA Players

If you’d like to learn more about Tim McCormick, his career, or his motivational speaking skills, click here:  http://www.timmccormick.com/

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